1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system in which electronic information such as image data and sound data is registered through a network, e.g., the Internet to be shared and utilized, and to a system for releasing digital information, e.g., image data (contents). More particularly, the present invention relates to techniques for returning to a profit made by developing a pay service such as a printing service or a data selling service to a planner or contributor (provider) who planned the service or provided information, and to a system and the configuration of a system suitable for development of an image selling service including releasing and selling images in the form of a print and in other output forms.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-268164 discloses techniques relating to a server system for registration and sharing of images through a network. With the recently developed Internet technology in the background, there is a demand for buying and selling on the Net of digital information such as image data and music data in the possession of enterprises and individual persons.
However, if a conventional image registration/sharing system is used to enable a planner planning provision of an information service to develop a planned page (home page on the Web), there is a need to construct a server system necessary for offering the service and to improve the existing system and, hence, a need for complicated management of the systems, which is considerably burdensome to a server manager.
For this reason, a planner who failed to obtain a server manager's consent to a plan has no way of carrying out the plan other than purchasing a high-priced set of a data server and a Web server to construct a service system by itself. It is not possible for a planner such as a small entrepreneur weak in financial strength to develop a planned page.
Even in a case where a planned page developed under a server manager is utilized so widely that a substantial profit is made by selling (secondary use), etc., of registered images, the profit is taken mainly by the server manager and it is difficult to return some portion of the profit to the planner or the image provider.
On the Internet, many service sites exist presently where a service for making an “album” for storing photographs is offered. Such service sites are planned mainly for the purpose of preserving electronic images in electric albums on a server.
Conventional album service sites are managed by photography studios, camera makers, specialized venture enterprises, etc. On the other hand, contents holders, e.g., theatrical agencies and professional photographers keep photographs to be sold. It costs a contents holder a lot of money to independently prepare a server, etc., and to manage an image release system on the network. Therefore it is desirable for contents holders to provide only contents and to release and sell images by using an album service site managed by an external corporation.
The systems for conventional album sites, however, have been planned basically for private photograph albums and specified so that only images to be released at a user's wish, among those registered in an album, are objects of release on the network. Such system specifications which inhibit release of contents in principle are inconvenient for commercial contents holders who intend mainly to release and sell images.
Also, for general users who need albums for accumulating electronic images, the method of holding electronic images on a local (user's own) computer is more convenient in terms of access speed, screen customization flexibility, etc. It is not practically necessary for a user to hold on the network his or her private album storing images not to be seen by others.
In short, it is thought that the conventional systems have been planned as a substitute for “private” and “closed” albums and the fundamental planning policy is not reasonable.